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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Contact: ACF Press Office
(202) 401-9215
ACF Awards Over $4.8 Million to Promote Economic Self-Sufficiency for Refugees
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced 17 awards totaling $4,825,624 to help refugees find jobs and obtain self-sufficiency soon after their arrival in the United States.
“The goal of this program is to ensure refugees get the skills and training to find jobs and become productive members of their communities,” said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., HHS assistant secretary for children and families. “The Bush Administration is dedicated to helping states strengthen programs designed to promote self-sufficiency for refugees.”
The awards enable states and organizations to provide assistance to counties impacted by such factors as high refugee concentrations and high use of public assistance by refugees. The grants help provide refugees with employment services as well as English language instruction and vocational training. They also focus on special populations such as refugee women who are not literate in their native language, the elderly and other hard-to-assimilate groups.
The grants, from the Targeted Assistance Discretionary Grant program, are administered by ACF’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and include these grantees:
• $215,000 to the state of Arizona;
• $175,000 to the state of Connecticut;
• $450,000 to the state of Florida.
• $150,000 to Mountain States Group, Idaho;
• $250,000 to the state of Illinois;
• $100,000 to the state of Iowa;
• $335,000 to the commonwealth of Massachusetts;
• $200,000 to the state of Michigan;
• $319,000 to the state of Minnesota;
• $150,315 to the state of Missouri;
• $124,000 to the state of Nebraska;
• $345,844 to the state of New York;
• $175,000 to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania;
• $105,000 to Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota;
• $78l,465 to the state of Texas;
• $350,000 to the state of Washington; and
• $600,000 to the state of Wisconsin.
The Targeted Assistance Discretionary Grant program supports the mission of ORR to help refugees become employed and self-sufficient as quickly as possible after their arrival in the U.S.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news